Okay, the first thing I have to say is, hang in there with me for a few minutes. I know you are thinking, make your own cheese? REALLY? Here on this blog where I have said about a million times, it’s all about getting in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes or less? Has she finally eaten one too many piece of bacon and gone off her rocker?
Hang in there with me while I promise you these three things:
1. If you can boil water, you can make your own ricotta cheese.
2. It will take you less than 15 minutes from start to finish.
3. It will taste so good, you will wonder why on earth it took you so long to figure out that you should have been making your own ricotta cheese for the past hundred years.
4. It will take all your willpower not to stand there next to your bowl of delicious fresh ricotta and not eat it all in one fell swoop.
Okay, that’s four things, and I have no idea what a fell swoop is. But you get my drift. Try it with me just once, and I promise you will be hooked for life. Here’s what you do.
Get out your handy strainer and put it in your sink. Line it with a little cheesecloth, which you can find in your supermarket, sometimes with the baking stuff and sometimes with the laundry stuff, for mysterious reasons. I usually fold it into a square that has about 3-4 layers until it looks like this. This will take you two minutes.
Now take a nice heavy saucepan and pour in 4 cups of whole milk, one cup of buttermilk, and 1/3 cup of heavy cream. Set it on the stove and put the heat on to medium high and bring it to a boil. In the early going, you may want to clip a candy thermometer on to the pot so you can watch the temperature, because when the temperature gets to about 185 degrees, the curds (the solid part) will have separated from the whey (the liquid part), and it’s time to strain it. If you don’t have thermometer don’t fret, because you can pretty much see it happening. The milk mixture will boil, and it will gradually curdle and separate into the solids (the curds) and the watery looking liquid (the whey). This will take about 10 minutes…sometimes less. When it does, take the pot off the burner and reach for your handy slotted spoon, and start scooping out the solids, letting the liquid drain off. Drop the spoonfuls of solids into your strainer.
I like to sprinkle a little coarse salt onto the cheese every couple of spoonfuls or so. Once you are done, let it drain for about 2 minutes (if you like your ricotta moist) or 5 minutes (if you like it drier). You can leave it right in the strainer, or you can be like I was when I first made it and hang it dramatically from your kitchen faucet (see picture above). Taste it after a few minutes…if it’s gotten too dry just stir in a tablespoon or two of milk, and if it’s too moist for you, let it keep draining.
Fifteen minutes have now passed, and you have made your own ricotta cheese.
And if you are like me, you will never even LOOK at those ricotta containers in the supermarket again.
Things you can make with your glorious ricotta include…
Summer Lasagna. A cool lasagna that includes fresh zucchini, sweet little cherry tomatoes, basil from your back yard…and ricotta.
Zucchini Carpaccio. Almost as fun to pronounce as it is to eat. Almost.
Or you can cook up some soft scrambled eggs with fresh chives and during the last minute of cooking, swirl in some ricotta. Heaven.
Or you can just stand there at your kitchen counter and eat it with the closest available spoon. I may or may not have done this at times.
Happy fresh ricotta. No fear!
Ingredients
Directions
Recipe adapted from the 101 Cookbooks recipe
ooh I cant wait to do this!
I need to try this so I can make those eggs!
Are you on vacation? Is this the greatest hits album? This seems very familiar….framed cooks groundhog day edition?
(yes, this IS why I never get invited over for dinner)
About how much ricotta does this recipe make?
I'm so intrigued! I want to try it! What an awesome post!
mnw: about 2 cups, give or take
My brother: NO, I am not on vacation! And the ricotta recipe is new to the blog, thank you very much. Jeesh.
Everyone else: xoxo, as usual.
i just made ricotta for the first time! it is simply amazing, i will definitely have to try it with the buttermilk.
this was such a great post and i will definitely be trying this! i live in italy and the ricotta there is so creamy and heavenly…i could bathe in it.
so i can't wait to finally be able to have some good ricotta when i'm here in the states! thank you!
Absolutely divine!!!
I really can't believe ricotta is this easy. Then why is it so expensive!
How amazing is this? I was just at Blue Hill at Stone Barns for a cooking class and this was the first thing they showed us. We were all amazed by how simple, but delicious it is!
I found your blog yesterday via Pinterest. My husband is an executive chef at an Italian restaurant and loves making as much as he can from scratch but didn't know you could make fresh ricotta cheese. Needless to say, he's trying this tomorrow at the restaurant!
OK, seriously, you are amazing. I have heard of those crafty people who make their own cheese, but never thought that it would be this easy! Thank you!
Loved all the pictures and all the ideas to use fresh ricotta. I do make fresh paneer and ricotta whenever required just because there in nothing better than that
This is the second post I've read this week on how to make ricotta. OK, OK, I get it! I am convinced! Bookmarking this to try soon.
you read my mind. I've been thinking about trying this all summer & haven't spent the time to look up a recipe. Thanks!
will be teaching my students how to make this next week for a cooking lesson/baked ziti! thanks!
Just stopping by to let you know that I featured this in my "What I Bookmarked This Week" post today. Stop by and see!
Oh wow, I'd love to try this… The zucchini carpaccio looks to die for! Thanks for sharing. Beautiful photography!
Question – would the powered buttermilk work? I always have some of that on hand for banana bread, but i rarely buy fresh, as it is a pain to get a hold of on short notice, it's not always in my regular grocery store, etc… thoughts?
Thanks all, and I'm glad everyone is making ricotta! Lopez, unfortunately I don't think the powdered version would work. I've heard that you can simulate buttermilk by mixing whole milk with a little vinegar and letting it stand, but I've never tried that so I can't vouch for it…but if you try it let me know!
I love Pinterest! It introduced me to your blog! I adore ricotta but it is so expensive and having six kids I needs lots to make two lasagna pans. Thank you! I cannot wait to make this. (Pinning!)
I hear the angels singing! Can't wait to try this.
Does this make a full-fat ricotta? If so, any tips on skim ricotta? (this is me assuming skim ricotta refers to the fat content – in actuality, I have no clue what I'm talking about, I just want a ricotta I can use on Weight Watchers)
Tiana – yes, this is a full-fat ricotta. I have never tried making a lower-fat version, so I'm not sure how using low-fat milk and/or buttermilk would work. Sorry I can't be more help on this (especially since I am a long-time WW alumni!)…
My mother in law hangs yogurt over the faucet to make greek yogurt. This really does look amazing. What a great idea I am now following you. I would love it if you visited my blog and folled me back.
I've got to try yogurt one of the these days. I'll definitely come visit your blog!
Fabulous – i am italian and grew up in a delicatessen. Miss fresh ricotta so much. Gonna do this! For other, try just mixing it with a bit of sugar and cinammon for a very naughty treat. You can also make (in my opinion) a much nicer version of tiramisu with ricotta (mixed with sugar and cinammon) layered between sponge fingers that are soaked in a mix of strong coffee and liqueur. That's how my mum used to do and I made it last weekend …just delish. Thanks for this and great to discover your blog!
Concetta…all I have to say is, WOW! Definitely giving that a try.
Nice! I'm on the lookout for a lower fat recipe, perhaps without heavy cream, argh. I do like ricotta mixed with a little agave and vanilla, then spread over a graham cracker. Oh my, like frosting!
Let me know if you find a low-fat one that works…and yes, just like frosting!
As it's cooking, do you stir the milk so it won't burn?
Koni,if you use a heavy enough pot you'll only have to stir it once or twice and it will be fine. If your pot is not heavy, I'd stir it once a minute or so, just in case.
one fell swoop: It's an idiom used by Shakespeare in Macbeth. A predator comes falling from the sky and makes damage in a sudden swift motion.
I think it might have to do with felling trees with one swoop of the axe.
Amazing!
Paula! You have solved one of life's great phraseology mysteries for me – thank you!
ohhhh I am off to the supermarket to buy some buttermilk. But I am going to try both ways.. using buttermilk and the alternative of milk and vinegar. As buttermilk is not a common ingredient in Australian cooking so it tends to be very expensive. I will let you know how they both turn out. Thank you for sharing.
Saw this on Pinterest and had to give it a try. Turned out great. Thanks so much for sharing.
My pleasure! I make it at least once or twice a month now…and now I'm working on making my own butter. (I know..crazy!!)
Making butter is about as easy as it gets. Just take heavy cream and a pinch of salt in a mixer and whip it. One it gets past whipped cream, the butterfat will separate out from the liquid. Strain it a little to push the extra liquid out and you have some lovely butter. You can also just put the heavy cream in a jar and shake it for a looong time.
Yogurt is similar to making the ricotta, in that you have to heat the milk to 185, but the rest of the process takes longer. Put milk in the top of a double boiler (or in my case, since I go through A LOT of yogurt, in a stockpot that nests inside of another stockpot filled with water. Heat it until the milk gets to 185-190 degrees. Let it cool to 105-115 degrees. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of plain yougurt. Place the milk mixture on a heating pad on low overnight, covered with a towel to keep away drafts. Let it sit for at least 6-8 hours (I leave mine overnight) and then you’ll have yogurt! I like to strain mine when its done, so I have a greek style yogurt. A gallon of milk will make 2 quarts or so of Greek style yogurt. Have fun!
Betty, thank you for all this fabulous info! I’m working on perfecting my butter…hopefully soon it will be good enough for me to post.
Oh gorgeous!!! it’ s amazing.. i can’ y believe it…. now i MUST try to make ricotta at home!!
:O)
big hug,
Serena
Big hug back and yes! You must!!
I can’t wait to try this!
It’s an amazing thing to step back and realize…I made my own ricotta!
That looks like so much fun and so taaaasty >< Great post! I love the dramatic picture =)
Thanks! And while it looks dramatic, in real life it is SO easy! (Isn’t that the best??)
Thank you ever so much for this recipe, I am an Italian American second generation on my Dad’s side and third generation on my Mom’s. I love love love Ricotta and use it in so many recipes handed down to me from both of my Nona’s,and now thanks to you I can make my own, who knew it was so simple. Than you, Thank you Thank you!
You are so welcome! I’m sure you will love it. Aren’t recipes from grandmothers precious? My favorite is my grandma’s molasses cookies.
Alright…I must know. Where have you been all of my life? You’re so cute and fun and you make your own cheese! I just know that we were meant to be besties!
I’m totally making my own ricotta this week for some lasagna. Can’t wait!
I’ve been right here waiting for you to stop by! Happy weekend ricotta!
I was just wondering ..i make my riccota w/ lemons instead of butter milk.is it about the same ..i think i would like it better w/ the butter milk.might make it a little richer.yes??/
I’ve never made ricotta with lemons so I can’t say for sure — I do know that this version with the buttermilk and creamy is very rich and smooth. Hope you like it!
Just made it today ! Thank You for this recipe, it’s so good .. and easy ! I think I’ll never buy ricotta anymore !
I’m so glad you like it! And I said the exact same thing the first time I made it…no more store-bought ricotta for me!